Avocado Tree as Indoor Bonsai?

Avocado Tree as Indoor Bonsai?

Mon Aug 11, 2014 10:57 am

I recently planted an avocado seed in a pot (the seed is half covered with the soil) and placed it indoors on an east facing window ledge. The seed has now sprouted and the shoot is now about 2" tall and 'looking good' I am ok with pruning when the time comes but has anyone got any advice/tips on how to progress 'growing wise'? e.g. How long do I leave it attached to the seed ... can it continue to be grown as indoor tree ... etc. etc.

Re: Avocado Tree as Indoor Bonsai?

Tue Aug 12, 2014 1:24 pm

Mostly agree with tom.. Avocado is a decent tree for indoor growing (though like most plants it benefits from a summer vacation outdoors). And in its natural state it does have huge leaves, that wouldn't be considered appropriate for bonsai, being all out of proportion to a small tree.

Re: Avocado Tree as Indoor Bonsai?

Wed Dec 09, 2015 3:23 am

I am trying a couple avocado experiments this winter. This first one, pictured below, I am going to leave the wire on it so that the trunk grows around it, in an attempt to get a thicker trunk. And I am hoping that by keeping it in a small pot and trimming the roots often, I can keep the leaves from getting too big.The second experiment, I am sprouting 3 seeds in the same pot and I will weave them together to try to give the impression of a thick trunk. Only one of the 3 is sprouted so far. Hopefully, the other two won't be too far behind.

Re: Avocado Tree as Indoor Bonsai?

Wed Dec 09, 2015 3:36 pm

Rainbowgardener, I think you are wondering about that because you are forgetting that this is meant to become a bonsai. In bonsai culture and training, using soft pliable but firm wire to wrap then manipulate the stems and branches into taking a desired form is a common practice. The wire is meant to be wrapped, inspected regularly, and re-wrapped as needed... And once the tree's bark hardens and maintains the shape without the wire, the wire can be removed.

I've been eyeing a couple of spools of "Bonsai" wires that to my inexperienced sense of wire pricing seem expensive for the amount, but have not purchased them yet. I wonder if there is ANY household wire that can be substituted?

(I also decided that I'm not using any thorny or spiny trees as my future bonsai subjects if they need to be wired for proper training. )

Learning never ends because we can share what we've learned. And in sharing our collective experiences, we gain deeper understanding of what we learned.

Re: Avocado Tree as Indoor Bonsai?

Wed Dec 09, 2015 4:03 pm

applestar wrote:Rainbowgardener, I think you are wondering about that because you are forgetting that this is meant to become a bonsai. In bonsai culture and training, using soft pliable but firm wire to wrap then manipulate the stems and branches into taking a desired form is a common practice. The wire is meant to be wrapped, inspected regularly, and re-wrapped as needed... And once the tree's bark hardens and maintains the shape without the wire, the wire can be removed.

But garmy said: " I am going to leave the wire on it so that the trunk grows around it, in an attempt to get a thicker trunk."

Presumably letting it grow around the wire as in my pictures and never removing it.

that was what I was questioning.

Even if it doesn't kill or seriously harm the tree, it might give this effect:

trees that grew around Chrismas lights that were left on them. Don't know if that's what garmy was going for.

Re: Avocado Tree as Indoor Bonsai?

Wed Dec 09, 2015 6:00 pm

Thanks for all your replies. Yes, I plan on leaving the wire on so that the trunk completely grows around it. I read in another thread that a person who bought a bonsai was told to leave the wire on to increase the trunk size. So that gave me the idea to try it.Here is another picture after I gave her a haircut. She has a lot of energy and wants to take off, so I am keeping her trimmed back as much as possible. Maybe leaving the wire on will also slow down her growth?

Re: Avocado Tree as Indoor Bonsai?

Mon Jan 04, 2016 6:01 pm

Update:I changed my mind and decided to remove the wire on the trunk. It left a couple scars, but since the plant is so young, I think they will heal. The plant has put out a couple shoots in very nice positions, which I will take advantage of and let them be the directions of future growth.

Re: Avocado Tree as Indoor Bonsai?

Wed Jan 06, 2016 3:45 pm

This is SO CUTE! -- definitely worthy of showcasing and a fun project.

Even if it turns out to be short lived in terms of decorative value due to issues previously mentioned, it really looks like you could enjoy the baby tree in the seedling stages -- I believe there is a name for that kind of "bonsai" -- it looks like you can play with the process for a good while.

Good work -- keep posting progress updates, I'm really enjoying this

Learning never ends because we can share what we've learned. And in sharing our collective experiences, we gain deeper understanding of what we learned.